QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Malden, MO

No earthquake was likely felt in Malden in the 24 hours to 10:06 am CST (16:06 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 21 km (13 mi) E, at 2:06 am CDT on 15 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malden

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) northeast of Malden, MO, at 5:09 am CDT on 17 May 2025 (10:09 UTC), 9.2 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NW of Parma, Missouri

5:09 am CDT, May 17, 2025 · · 9.2 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N New Madrid County 20 kmStoddard County 24 kmLake County 48 kmButler County 49 kmPemiscot County 49 kmScott County 52 kmMississippi County 55 kmDunklin County 57 kmClay County 58 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
5:09 am CDT on 17 May 2025 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) northeast of Malden, MO · earthquakes near Malden
Missouri today
every earthquake in Missouri in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
9.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
New Madrid County, 20 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Reelfoot scarp and New Madrid seismic zone, under 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 543 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Malden, 13 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Bernie, Dexter, Gideon, Lilbourn, Clarkton, Campbell.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 840,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 36.6438, -89.8657. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
New Madrid County, MO 20 km (12 mi) ESE earthquakes near New Madrid County
Stoddard County, MO 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Stoddard County
Lake County, TN 48 km (30 mi) SE earthquakes near Lake County
Butler County, MO 49 km (30 mi) W earthquakes near Butler County
Pemiscot County, MO 49 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near Pemiscot County
Scott County, MO 52 km (32 mi) NNE earthquakes near Scott County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

48 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.0 3 km ENE of Marston, Missouri
  2. 1.7 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  3. 1.8 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  4. 1.6 4 km W of Tiptonville, Tennessee
  5. 2.6 5 km SW of Puxico, Missouri
  6. 2.1 1 km ENE of Marston, Missouri
  7. 1.8 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  8. 1.9 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  9. 1.6 4 km NW of Ridgely, Tennessee
  10. 2.3 1 km W of Risco, Missouri
  11. 1.6 8 km ESE of Matthews, Missouri
  12. 2.0 5 km E of Marston, Missouri
  13. 1.6 7 km SE of Marston, Missouri
  14. 1.8 5 km ESE of Marston, Missouri
  15. 1.5 2 km NE of Marston, Missouri

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.